The Memphis appeal. [volume] (Memphis, Tenn.) 1886-1890, 1887-05-22
Mr.. LAMAR ON THE SOUTH
BE FINDS BOOKS ONLY IN THE
MINERAL REGIONS.
The Cotton Country Does Not Show
an Encouraging GrOwth-yery
Ind fferent Farming.

Tue Cotton Country Does Not Show
, an Encouraging Growth Very
Ind fferent Farming.
New YORK, May 20-Z. l.
White, writing from Washington, il
the New York Mail and Express, says
Secretary Lamar, of the Interior De.
partment, is the scholar of the ad.
ministration. His natural tastes
lead him, more than any other mem
Der OF the Cabinet, int the walks OF
elegant literature, aud more, too
than into those of politics. If he had
been born in Boston or Cambridge he
would have made one of that dis
tinguished coterie of philosophers
and literati to which Longfellow and
Whittier and Emerson, Lowell and
Holmes and Whipple have belonged.
And even in spite of his Southern
education and surroundings, which
have not been favorable to literary
culture Of a high order, Col. Lamar
has been able to devote much time to
poetry and philosophy, and he is
even now seen at his best in CON
versation, not when the topic of the
discussion is the affairs of State, but
some interesting phase of the intel
lectual movements of the day. And
yet Col. Lamar'S career as a states
man has been a successful one. /
say this, laying aside all partisan
political considerations-for we have
never belonged to the same party
and have rarely agreed upon ques-
tons OF general public policy-but
from an intimate personal acquaint-
ance with him from the time he
came TO Washington to represent
his district in Congress, after the
close of the war, and from an I'M
derstanding and appre citation, as |
believe, OF the motives that have
governed him all through his public
life. On more than one occasion he
has given evidence Of the purity of
his patriotism and the high quality
of his craftsmanship by antagonizing
his party, when he had nothing to
gain and much to lose by so doing,
but in every instance, | believe, the
logic of events has justified the
stand he took. | confess that | was
sorry when Col. Lamar was appoint.
ed Secretary Of the Interior. | was
glad OF any honor that might be
conferred upon him, any promotion
which his party might think he
deserved, because | like to see the
best men OF any party holding the
places of responsibility and trust;
the whole country is the gamer. But
feared that the onerous duties of a
great executive department like that
OF the Interior would not be congen-
ial to his tastes, if they were not too
exacting for his far from robust
health, and | should have regret ed
to see him submitted to the humilia-
ton OF even partial failure through
undertaking duties for which he was
not especially fitted. But | have
been agreeably disappointed. 1t is
the universal testimony here of Re-
publicans as well as Democrats that
Secretary Lamars department is GER
tainly as well managed as any, if, in
deed, it is not the best. He has given
the country an example of the scholar
in politics who is successful. Il
found Secretary Lamar at his place
In the department the other day, his
table well covered with papers, trans
acting the routine business as me-
thodically as though he had been an
executive officer all his life, but it
seemed to be relief to him to turn
from them for little while, walk
with me into his private room and
talk on other subjects. Our CONVEX
sation was about journalism, its won |
derful growth, its change OF charac-
ter and its future, and upon other
topics, but | shall not now repeat
what he had to say except on one
subject-the industrial condition of
the Southland that | do with his
consent.
THE REAL CONDITION OF AFFAIRS.
The apparent prosperity of the
South, said Secretary Lamar, lis to
be found in the cities, and not all of
them share it. Atlanta, Chattanoo-
ga, Nashville, Knoxville, Birming,
ham and other cities that are the
centers of mineral development, al
ready made or anticipated, are grow
ing rapidly in population and, appa-
rently, in wealth. Towns, also, that
are situated upon the new railroads
that have been built during the past
few years are larger and more thriv.
ing than they were, but their growth
has been largely at the expense of
less fortunate towns that have either
stood still or have actually deterio-
rated. This circumstance, | think,
is likely to give an erroneous I'M
preston to the stranger passing
through the South on the railways.
He sees the towns at the various sta
tions apparently thriving, the centers
of new commercial enterprises, and
he naturally concludes that the
South is making very rapid
but he doesn't know
that the man who has opened
a new store at one of these places has
removed there from some
town distant from the railroad, or
the man who is building new house
IS possibly farmer, who has become
discouraged in the vain effort to make
living planting cotton, and has sold
out and come to town, hoping to do
better, or, perhaps, to have better op-
portunities for the education of his
children. am inclined to think,
also, that the present prosperity Of l
he cities which are the centers in
he mineral region, or whose growth
mas been stimulated by their prox-
nifty to or interested in it, is, to a '
great extent, speculative-based {
n some measure, at least, upon an
icipated developments rather than
lpon those already made. OF course I
know that a good deal of capital
has been invested there and that I
much Of it has gone from the North
nd that many Northern people are :
ettling there, and | don't wish to 9
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